Mayoralty officials at Jeddah's Central Fruit and Vegetable Market have arrested 871 foreign workers for violations of labor and residency laws and seized over 3,000 items of fruit and vegetables in recent crackdowns at the site. The detained have been handed over to the relevant authorities. Inspectors from the Abattoirs and Public Utility Department said they uncovered 50 instances of commercial fraud at vegetable stores and 223 instances of the sale of items not permitted for display at fruit stores and 2751 similar instances at vegetable stores. Head of the Abattoirs Department Nasser Al-Jarallah said “appropriate measures were taken against violators, and they were told to refrain from selling their products without the correct license”. All confiscated fruit and vegetables found fit for human consumption was handed in to local charities. Inspections at the Central Livestock Market took in over 1,000 animal pens and hundreds of fodder stalls, as well as restaurants, veterinarian pharmacies and cafeterias. Five owners were fined and 14 others given warnings.
